A storm system currently over Alaska has the potential to pound New Jersey with blizzard-like conditions next week, meteorologists are warning.

Though the developing system is still thousands of miles away, experts are following a few likely tracks, one of which plants it firmly in the Northeast. If the storm lands in New Jersey, it could bring high winds and heavy snowfall by Wednesday.

"It has a lot of potential, but we're outside the realm of definite with it," said Greg Heavener, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

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Heavener said there is not yet a worst-case scenario, but it could be as bad as the blizzard that hit New England on Feb. 8 and dropped between two and three feet of snow across Massachusetts and Connecticut.

As far as likely snowfall totals in New Jersey, Heavener said it was too early to make predictions.

"Precipitation levels are track-dependent. If it moves like it is now it could bring an inch or two across the DelMarVa region, but if it heads farther north it could be more like a blizzard [for New Jersey]," Heavener said.

Mike Pigott, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.com, said the whole Northeast is at risk for major snowfall.

"There's a good chance for an East Coast snowstorm," Pigott said. "Somewhere in the Northeast is likely to get blizzard conditions."

Heavener was less enthusiastic for the Garden State's shot at snow.

"Really it depends on if it stays south of our area, or if it can begin to head more northeast along the coast. The next couple of days we're going to be watching where the models put it," he said.

The storm system, like the recent spate of blizzards that walloped the Midwest, will drop from Alaska into the Pacific Northwest this weekend, meteorologists said. It will then move into the West, though it's not expected to affect that region as much as earlier storms did.

N.J. residents dig out after snowstormN.J. residents had to pull out their shovels on Saturday to dig out from the winter storm that hit Friday and left some areas of the state with over a foot of snow by early this morning. The storm has moved offshore and coastal areas are experiencing only minor coastal flooding but winds of up to 40 miles per hour are expected today. (Video by Adya Beasley / The Star-Ledger)

Once it crosses the Rocky Mountains, it will begin to form a low-pressure system. The storm will be moderate until it draws moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and intensifies, meteorologists said.

"The question once it forms is, where will it head?" said Heavener.

Temperatures are going to be in the low 40s next week, which is not ideal for accumulating snow, Heavener said. But Pigott added that the snow could move in late at night when it's colder, and a more northern storm would bring cold air with it, dropping the forecasted temperatures considerably.

Dispensing with the National Weather Service's cautious tone, AccuWeather.com issued a press release today noting similarities between this storm and the Ash Wednesday storm of 1962, which caused historic devastation in New Jersey.

Next week's storm could linger over the region for two days, Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said, which is shorter than the Ash Wednesday storm but could still lead to considerable precipitation.

If it does pause above New Jersey instead of darting out to sea, Abrams warned that the mix of surge, wind, rain and snow could coincide with high tides and bring considerable coastal flooding.

"We're five-plus days away, and with the way this winter's been acting, nothing is a lock," Heavener said.